The pianist Martin Kohlstedt is artist and entrepreneur, musician, and at the same time boss of his own record label employing more than ten people. This was not anticipated, because he only started playing the piano at the age of twelve, however, the native Thuringian has published three solo albums and performs at international festivals. In our conversation, he tells us how he balances the contradictory purposes of artistic freedom, musical-industrial necessity, and business administration concerns into a harmonious overall context.

On a sunny friday afternoon I find myself in a lively street in the center part of Prenzlauer Berg in Berlin. The Dutch musician Rik Spann and today’s interview partner Stephen Nachmanovitch are at my side. Stephen came here to give one of his popular improvisation workshops. Rik and I are two of the participants. None of us know that area of Berlin so we decide to go to an Italian restaurant just a few steps away; artists need to eat as well.

In one of the most popular art districts in the East of Beijing, photographer Zhang Wei invites me into his stylish studio in a dark backyard. The neighborhood seems central and lively, even though we are at least two hours from the city centre. Zhang Wei has the view of someone who has seen quite a lot of things in life. He speaks quietly and thoughtfully.

On his walls hang world famous people depicted in perfect photographs.

“I think, that people can learn empathy through dance”, dancer Lucija Mikas said. She began her dance career at the age of eleven at the John Cranko School in Stuttgart and quit her classic ballet education there, after four years of hard training. What she learned during this strict dance lessons, confirms established clichés as she says “Discipline is definitely necessary, because classic ballet is on the same level with ice skating and gymnastics.

Helge Steinmann, in the street art scene, is better known as “Bomber One”, a graffiti-institution in Germany. Born in Hessen, he studied communication design and became active as a graffiti artist in the late 80s. Mainly operating in and around Frankfurt he is also known internationally as an analyst, co-creator, and guest to various events and campaigns. His work has been published in a number of magazines and publications. In an interview with us he spoke about his career as an artist, about the freedom of the arts, and appreciation of oneself, the process of learning and education, as well as idea generation, and the daily struggle with structures and restrictions.

Imagine yourself a career where you play in a rock band as a teenager before starting an apprenticeship in a bank. Being a qualified bank employee only causes you one problem: You don’t feel challenged enough. So why not mastering the entrance examination at the music conservatory in Karlsruhe to become a pianist and music teacher?

Well, this career exists and marks just the beginning of Sabine Schaefer’s journey that continues further today.

Jason Beechey is a professional dancer and also rector of the Palucca University of Dance Dresden, a renowned institution for classical and contemporary dance, that exists for more than 90 years. And yet the word artist makes him a bit scared when describing his line of work: “My name is Jason, I was born and my passion is exploring the body in movement with music, the possibilities and to help other people discover their possibilities.

What has inspired Age of Artists in the last month? Exciting, entertaining and controversial findings from the world wide web. Things that attracted our attention in May:

What our most innovative thinkers have in common isn’t what you’d expect. That caption attracted our attention for sure. The article 4 Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers published at the OBSERVER says: “Originals are nonconformists—people who not only have new ideas but take action to champion them,” Mr.

In our first part of this Bricolage feature, we explored Bricolage as a potential answer to tackle problems, and to enhance creativity through improvisation, playfulness, and experiments. However, not all the problems are easily resolvable, and often the solutions are more harmful than the actual issue. In his interview with AoA , artist Bernard Pras, explains that it is difficult to anticipate the malicious effect of innovation: “we create new products as we need it, and it is often fantastic, but there is always a negative side that one could – or not – anticipate, and sometimes the malicious side takes on the initial magic of the invention.”

By taking a look at environmental issues on our starship earth and the research for new energy sources, a clear example lies in the manufacture of photovoltaic panels.